Electric socket connectors



P 0, 1966 J. E. APTED ETAL 3,274,533

ELECTRIC SOCKET CONNECTORS Filed June 26, 1964 IMVENTORS ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,274,533 ELECTRIC SOCKET CONNECTORS James E. Apted, London, and George F. N. Oliver, Bean, near Dartford, Kent, England, assignors to Oliver Pell Control Limited Filed June 26, 1964, Ser. No. 378,188 Claims priority, application Great Britain, July 1, 1963,

4 Claims. (Cl. 339-192) The present invention relates to electrical socket connectors, and provides such a connector of new or improved construction.

In accordance with the invention there is provided an electrical socket connector including a body of insulating material having a plurality of apertures housing individual female contacts, and a relatively thin cover plate for retaining and protecting the female contacts and having apertures for guiding male contacts into correct engagement with the female contacts, the body being formed integrally with an upstanding rim which locates the plate laterally, and with a plurality of projections which are received in corresponding holes in the plate and deformed to retain the plate to the body.

One form of socket connector and a modification thereof, both in accordance with the invention are described below, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of the connector;

FIGURES 2 and 2A are a section on the line IIII of FIGURE 1, and a scrap detail on an enlarged scale, respectively; and

FIGURES 3 and 4 are scrap sectional views illustrating a modification.

The connector shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 comprises a body 2, conveniently a moulding of synthetic material, which is rectangular in plan and has a plurality of vertical apertures 4 of rectangular cross-section, which apertures are reduced in width towards their lower ends to terminate in narrow slots 4A. A continuous raised rim 6 is formed along the four sides of the body 2 at the upper surface thereof, and a plurality of upstanding projections or pips 8 are formed integrally on the flat upper surface bounded by the rim 6.

Each of the said apertures 4 houses a female spring contact member 10 of strip metal shaped to form two arms whose upper ends bear outwardly against opposite sides of the aperture, wedging the contact in the aperture. The arms converge downwardly and meet and form a nip 12, and then diverge before coming together Where they may form a flat tail extending downwardly through the slot 4A at the bottom of the aperture and projecting as a terminal lug 13 which is apertured for the attachment of the conductor.

A cover plate 14, conveniently made of the synthetic plastic material known as Bakelite, is formed with slots or apertures 16 to register with the apertures 4 in the body 2, and holes 18 to register with the pips 8 on the upper surface of the body. The plate 14 (which is thin relative to the thickness of the body 2) fits closely within the rim of the body and is held to it by heat softening and deforming the pips 8 to form rivet like heads as shown at 8A. The width of the slots 16 is slightly greater than that of the flat contact pins of the mating plug connector, but considerably less than that of the apertures 4 in the body, so that the female contacts 10 are retained and protected ice by the edges of the thin plate projecting over the apertures in the body. Each slot serves to guide a pin into the nip between the arms of the corresponding female contact, but prevents the pin from catching the upper end edge of the contact or jamming between one arm and the adjacent side of the aperture.

The female contact 10 may be additionally retained in the body by twisting the projecting portion of the flat tail to form an angle with the slot as illustrated in FIGURE 2.

The slots 16 in the cover plate 14 and the corresponding female contacts 10 are arranged asymmetrically to prevent incorrect coupling of the plug and socket connectors; and the pips 8 and holes 18 of the body 2 and plate 14 respectively are arranged asymmetrically to prevent incorrect assembly thereof.

The above described construction is particularly convenient for socket connectors of small size, for example in which the approximate dimensions of the body are 1" x x the body having say 10 individual contacts, and the thickness of the guard plate is .015".

In a modification of the above described connector, illustrated in FIGURES 3 and 4, the apertures in the body terminate in round holes 20 rather than .slots, and the lower projecting portions of the female contacts are formed as round, tubular spikes 22 having pointed lower ends, rendering the connector suitable for connection in sockets in a printed circuit board. The terminal spike 22 has a resilient, upwardly directed barb 24 punched out of the wall of the spike. When the spike 22 is passed downwardly through the hole 22 at the bottom of the aperture 4 during assembly of the female contact 10 with the body, the barb 24 is pressed inwardly, but once clear of the hole it springs out to engage the lower surface of the body, adjacent the hole, to prevent fortuitous removal of the female contact.

What is claimed is:

1. An electrical socket connector including a moulded body of electrically insulating, synthetic resin plastic, material having a plurality of apertures therein, each aperture extending completely through the body from the upper surface to the lower and having a portion of reduced cross section at its lower end, the body having an integral, continuous rim extending around its periphery and projecting above the upper surface of the body and a plurality of integral upstanding pips on the said upper surface, a plurality of female spring contacts each housed in one of the said apertures, each said contact having a pair of opposed arms which bear resiliently against the sides of the aperture, and having a lower portion of reduced cross-section projecting downwardly through the reduced portion of the said aperture, the lower portion of the contact below the lower surface of the body forming a terminal and being adapted to retain the contact against upward movement out of its aperture, and a cover plate which is thin relative to the thickness of the body, the said cover plate being located late-rally by the rim on the body, having holes to receive the said pips, which are deformed to form rivet like heads which retain the plate to the body, the said plate also being formed with apertures which register with those in the body but are of lesser width so that the edges of the apertures in the plate overlie and thereby protect the upper end edges of the arm of the spring contacts.

2. A connector in accordance with claim 1 wherein the contacts have flat tails which extend through slots at the bases of the apertures in the body and are twisted exter- References Cited by the Examiner nally of the body to retain the contacts.

3. A connector in accordance with claim 1 wherein the UNITED STATES PATENTS said female contacts are formed of strip metal and the 2,269,993 1/1942 Schmitt 339-193 X projecting terminal portion of each of the contacts is 5 2,525,210 10/ 1950 Del Camp 339192 X shaped to form a tubular spike for insertion into a socket. 2 17 723 2 959 Gluck 339 194 4. A connector in accordance with claim 1 wherein the 2,927,298 1/1960 Griffith X projecting terminal portions of the contacts are formed integrally with resilient catch portions which engage the EDWARD C ALLEN Primary Examiner body and prevent fortuitous removal of the female 10 contacts. W. DONALD MILLER, Examiner. 

1. AN ELECTRICAL SOCKET CONNECTOR INCLUDING A MOULDED BODY OF ELECTRICALLY INSULATING, SYNTHETIC RESIN PLASTIC, MATERIAL HAVING A PLURALITY OF APERTURES THEREIN, EACH APERTURE EXTENDING COMPLETELY THROUGH THE BODY FROM THE UPPER SURFACE TO THE LOWER AND HAVING A PORTION OF REDUCED CROSS SECTION AT ITS LOWER END, THE BODY HAVING AN INTEGRAL, CONTINUOUS RIM EXTENDING AROUND ITS PERIPHERY AND PROJECTING ABOVE THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE BODY AND A PLURALITY OF INTEGRAL UPSTANDING PIPS ON THE SAID UPPER SURFACE, A PLURALITY OF FEMALE SPRING CONTACTS EACH HOUSED IN ONE OF THE SAID APERTURES, EACH SAID CONTACT HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSED ARMS WHICH BEAR RESILIENTLY AGAINST THE SIDES OF THE APERTURES, AND HAVING A LOWER PORTION OF REDUCED CROSS-SECTION PROJECTING DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE REDUCED PORTION OF THE SAID APERTURE, THE LOWER PORTION OF THE CONTACT BELOW THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE BODY FORMING A TERMINAL AND BEING ADAPTED TO RETAIN THE CONTACT AGAINST UPWARD MOVEMENT OUT OF ITS APERTURE, AND A COVER PLATE WHICH IS THIN RELATIVE TO THE THICKNESS OF THE BODY, THE SAID COVER PLATE BEING LOCATED LATERALLY BY THE RIM ON THE BODY, HAVING HOLES TO RECEIVE THE SAID PIPS, WHICH ARE DEFORMED TO FORM RIVET LIKE HEADS WHICH RETAIN THE PLATE TO THE BODY, THE SAID PLATE ALSO BEING FORMED WITH APERTURES WHICH REGISTER WITH THOSE IN THE BODY BUT ARE OF LESSER WHICH SO THAT THE EDGES OF THE APERTURES IN THE PLATE OVERLIE AND THEREBY PROTECT THE UPPER END EDGES OF THE ARM OF THE SPRING CONTACTS. 